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Cerato: it sounds more like the troubled Latin male lead of one of those doublet-and-dagger dramas written by William Shakespeare than a Korean-made car. While the link may appear tenuous, they do have one thing in common – both are the most popular ‘products’ in their fields, Kias and English literature respectively.
Before the launch of the new hatchback late last year, the Cerato was Kia’s best-selling model around the globe, recording annual sales of 304,295 units during 2009 with the four-door sedan and two-door Koup versions, and 226,975 units during the first seven months of 2010. Likewise, the Bard left rival playwrights trailing, packing ‘em in at that other Globe, the London theatre, at his theatrical zenith.
Now the five-door hatchback can only add to brighten the Kia star in the highly competitive small passenger vehicle segment. Coming in two highly specified versions – Si and SLi – there is no base model S as in the sedan.
Sedans and hatches all share the same 2.0 litre four-cylinder DOHC multi-valve motor mated with either a six-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic with paddle-shift Sportsmatic mode.
Similar in many ways to its sedan and Koup siblings, the new Cerato five-door has the same overall width, height and wheelbase as the sedan, but the rear overhang is reduced by 190mm, as is the overall length, now 4340mm. Despite more compact dimensions, the hatchback’s cargo volume of 385 litres is competitive in its class. First shown at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Kia anticipates that demand for small passenger (C-segment) hatchbacks will grow to more than 1.2 million units by next year, with a corresponding jump in Australian sales.
BODY STYLE
Based on the best selling 2009 Cerato sedan, the new hatchback, with its all-steel body shell, takes on a new roof, rear side panels, C-pillar, tailgate with rear spoiler, rear bumper, light clusters and two-tone spoiler.
The sporty front incorporates new radiator and lower air-intake grilles and new-shape fog lamps. New door mirrors have an LED indicator, while the 17in alloy wheels of the SLi variant come in a double five-spoke design.
Rear lamps are arrayed across the tailgate shut line and a sporty rear diffuser allows the exhaust tailpipe to go on show in the SLi.
POWERTRAIN
The four-cylinder 1998cc Theta II powerplant which produces 115kW and accelerates the hatchback from standstill to 100km/h in between nine and ten seconds, depending on the transmission, and on to a top speed of 190km/h.
The manual’s high top-gear ratios make for reduced engine revs and ensure improved fuel economy.
The new six-speed automatic transmission has a gate-type shift pattern and offers the driver fully automatic, or Sport modes, the latter with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles in the SLi.
SAFETY
Following in the tracks of the Cerato sedan, the hatchback is engineered to match the sedan’s top five-star rating in the US NHTSA crash tests (scoring 19 out of 20) and a ‘Top Safety Pick’ from the IIHS for top ratings in front, side, rollover and rear impact protection tests.
The five-door is replete with airbags, front and side for driver and front passenger, plus full side curtain airbags, while anti-skid brakes are augmented by an array of aids and emergency systems.
Ride and handling are under the control of electronic stability control and traction control.
INTERIOR DESIGN
With two standard trim levels, the Si has a black fabric tricot finish, while the range topping SLi comes with the black fabric with red stitching and the option of black leather.
Rear seats are split 60/40 with the cushion flipping forward and the backrest folding down to create a flat cargo floor. Although the overall height of the Cerato hatchback, at 1460mm,i is the same as the sedan, the extended roofline of the five-door allows for 20mm more rear seat headroom.
Instruments, back lit in red, and switches are clear and concise, with cruise control mounted on the telescopic steering wheel and Bluetooth capability in the Si model adding to MP3 and six-speaker audio of the S sedan.
Top-dog SLi adds auto light control paddle shift on auto transmission and rear park assist with in-dash display. Noise, vibration and harshness have come under attack with additional sound-dampening foam in the A, B and C-pillars and the luggage bay side panels, while the exterior cowling top panel is a heavier gauge steel.
The dash-top padding is thicker, the rear parcel tray has extra insulation and the boot carpet is made from a heavier material. The narcissist behind the wheel is not forgotten with a visor-mounted vanity mirror matching that of the front seat passenger’s.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
I drove an Si manual and SLi automatic hatchback – both appealing in their own way.
The first thing I noticed was the way, unlike some rivals, the doors closed with a solid clunk. Not a bad start. With peak power not coming up until well into the rev range at 6200rpm, it was necessary to keep the engine in that arc of the dial to avoid embarrassingly uneven acceleration.
The Cerato hatch has carried on the recent good ride-and-handling development work put in by Kia Motors Australia on Sportage and it showed. This is the start of an ongoing program to make all the company’s vehicles suit Australian driving conditions.
The only niggling thing was an annoying vibration in the rear while on the move, which turned out to be nothing more than a wayward number plate. Soon sorted.
PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS
KIA CERATO FIVE-DOOR HATCHBACK, Si $20,240; SLi $24,040 (manufacturer’s list price)
KIA CERATO 2.0 ENGINE:
Type: 2.0 litre
Cylinders: Four inline
Displacement: 1998cc
Bore x stroke: 86mm x 86mm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel: Regular unleaded
Emission standard: Euro IV
Fuel system: Multipoint injection
Maximum power: 115kW @ 6200rpm
Maximum torque: 194Nm @ 4300rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual/six-speed automatic (Sportsmatic), front-wheel drive
DIMENSIONS
Overall length: 4340mm
Overall width: 1775mm
Overall height: 1460mm
Wheelbase: 2650mm
Minimum ground clearance: 150mm
Turning circle: 10.32m (15in wheels), 10.8m (17in)
Kerb weight: 1360/1386kg
Cerato 5
Tank capacity: 52 litres
Luggage capacity: 385 litres
PERFORMANCE AND FUEL CONSUMPTION
Acceleration 0-100km/h: 9.1/9.8 seconds
Maximum speed: 190km/h
Fuel consumption, combined cycle: 7.5/7.7 litres/100km; CO2 emissions, 179/183g/km
RUNNING GEAR
Suspension: MacPherson struts, front; coupled torsion beam axle, rear
Brakes: Ventilated disc, front; solid disc, rear. Anti-skid Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist. Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control
Steering: Electric power assisted rack and pinion
Towing: 550/500kg, unbraked; 1200/1000kg, braked
Max towball download: 75kg
Wheels: Steel, 15in/Alloy, 17in (Spare, full size)
Tyres: 195/65 R15/215/45 R17
WARRANTY
Five-year unlimited kilometres |
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